Chapter 119 Running away from home for the first time in life
Ollivander's Wand Shop, second floor.
After Aaron went upstairs, he decisively closed the door, then gave Abey a look.
Abey understood immediately and took out a set of clothes and a backpack from his pocket.
Aaron glanced downstairs, noticing the two shadows still in the corner. Relieved, he quickly changed into the more common clothes, ensuring his presence in a crowd wouldn't be too strong.
Then, Aaron tucked Abey into the backpack and took out the last half bottle of Invisibility Potion.
But before drinking it, he suddenly thought of something, picked up the quill from the table, and wrote two sentences on a piece of parchment:
Classes are too numerous, I'm overwhelmed, going out for a change of scenery.
Please tell Uncle to prepare everything I need for school and wait for me at Platform 9 3/4 on September 1st.
"This should be foolproof now," Aaron murmured, then nimbly put on his backpack, took a small sip of the Invisibility Potion, and his body instantly became transparent.
Because he only drank a small amount, the invisibility would only last about ten minutes. He needed to silently escape the sight of the two bodyguards within this very short time.
Just then, Colin also finished choosing his wand. Aaronfollowed him as he left, avoiding any strange incidents like a door suddenly opening.
Although such incidents were not uncommon in the Magical World, it was better to avoid trouble if possible.
Not long after, the effect of the invisibility wore off, but fortunately, Aaron didn't sense the two presences secretly following him, and he temporarily relaxed.
Escaping the two bodyguards, the first step of the escape plan was barely completed. The second step was to leave Diagon Alley.
Now there were two paths before him, one was Knockturn Alley.
Knockturn Alley was a mixed bag, an extreme compared to Diagon Alley, but it offered significant cover for an escape.
However, it wasn't as friendly to one's safety; in that place, if you casually threw a brick, you'd hit a Dark Wizard.
Aaron hesitated for a moment. For safety's sake, he chose the second path, the Leaky Cauldron.
Passing through a narrow alley into this small pub that connected Diagon Alley and Muggle streets, Aaron's refined appearance attracted the attention of some customers.
"Are you Aaron? Aaron Gaius?" the bar owner asked, somewhat surprised. "Why didn't Mr. Gines come with you?"
"Uh... that's a secret, Tom."
"Oh!" Tom didn't ask further, but pointed to some drinks on the counter. "Would you like a drink? I just got a batch of Butterbeer, suitable for minors."
"No, give me a brandy," Aaron said. This was the first time in his life he was actively rebelling against the rules above him, so he felt he should at least drink something high-class and sophisticated.
"Are you sure? Can you drink this kind of alcohol?"
"Absolutely sure, but putting it on Gines's tab is fine, right?"
"I estimate he'll be here in little more than an hour," Aaronsaid, a bit embarrassed, as it was his first time running a tab.
But he couldn't be blamed. His escape fund for three days was about two thousand Galleons, which seemed like a lot, but who knew when he'd need to spend money, so every bit saved was a bit earned.
Tom's expression changed. Aaron thought he was going to refuse, and regretfully grabbed a few Galleons from his pocket. "If not, then forget it."
"Nonsense, of course it's fine."
"Tom," an elderly Wizard in a brown Wizard robe at the bar looked at him mournfully. "You've never let us old customers run a tab. Is it because children get a discount?"
"Others can't, but he can," Tom poured Aaron a small glass of brandy and said in a fawning tone, "All the good alcohol I have here comes from your family's winery.
Little boss, next time, can you give me a discount?"
Aaron was stunned, not expecting his family's winery business to extend even here.
"No problem, I'll make it ninety-nine percent off," Aarongenerously offered the not-so-generous discount, then picked up the brandy and drank it in one gulp.
Tom and the customers in the bar watched him with interest, expecting to see the young Wizard's embarrassment, but to their surprise, Aaron walked out of the pub door as if nothing had happened.
"He holds his liquor well," a customer exclaimed. "When I was his age, I hadn't even had Butterbeer."
"If your family owned a winery, your drinking capacity probably wouldn't be far off either," Tom quipped. "And his family owns more than just one winery."
Outside the Leaky Cauldron was the Muggle world. Aaron's attire blended seamlessly into the bustling street; to everyone, he was just an ordinary middle school student taking a walk.
Breathing the fresh air, Aaron's heart was incredibly excited, wanting to shout out loud to celebrate this hard-won moment of freedom.
But he knew his current situation wasn't safe. If he truly believed everything would be fine just because he left Diagon Alley, he'd probably be caught within two hours.
At this moment, there was a squirming in the backpack. Abey felt a bit stuffy and wanted to poke its head out for air.
But just as it was about to move, a hand pushed it back. "Hold on a bit longer, it's not time for you to come out yet."
As Aaron walked, he scanned his surroundings and found an empty alley to duck into.
He quickly unzipped the backpack and let Abey out.
The Sacred Dragon simply stretched its limbs, then very sensibly folded its clothes and put them into Aaron's backpack.
"Get ready," Aaron took out half a bottle of Invisibility Potion, somewhat pained as he poured a quarter of a quarter of the potion. "This amount will only make us invisible for half an hour at most.
Malfoy Manor should be over one hundred thirty kilometers from here, so you'll have to fly at your fastest speed. Can you do it?"
Abey hesitated for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"Good!"
Aaron nodded in satisfaction, first drinking some himself, then feeding some to Abey.
As both he and the dragon became invisible, Abey ran out of the alley, quickly growing to several meters on the street, then crouched down.
Aaron made a swift decision, jumped onto its back, found a comfortable and safe spot, and said, "Let's go."
At his command, the Sacred Dragon spread its wings, and a gust of autumn wind appeared out of nowhere on the street, making passersby squint.
However, this wind came and went quickly, disappearing in less than two seconds, while Abey carried Aaron through the clouds.
Woohoo!
Aaron let out a joyful shout on Abey's back. This was his first time experiencing high-speed flight, and looking at the rapidly passing buildings and mountains below, his heart swelled with emotion.
Unlike a magic broom, a dragon's flight speed was much faster, and the comfort level was quite good. It was also different from Apparition, with no risks or consumption, and the excitement factor was fully maximized.
At this moment, he truly understood why some Wizards preferred to spend more time traveling by magical creatures rather than Apparating; the feeling was simply incredible... Just a few minutes after they set off, Ollivander also walked up the stairs, intending to check on his grandnephew.
But when he opened the door, he didn't see Aaron. Instead, a page of parchment pressed under a paperweight was particularly conspicuous.
Ollivander walked closer to look, his heart sank, and he murmured, "My Merlin!"
He immediately pocketed the note Aaron had left, quickly walked down the stairs, not even bothering with the customer who had just come in to choose a wand, muttering 'just a moment' before rushing to Gaius's Drinks.
This time, something truly serious had happened; his usually filial and sensible grandnephew had run away from home.
The two bodyguards secretly protecting Aaron also felt an inexplicable tremor in their hearts. They exchanged glances and decided to break a rule, quietly entering Ollivander's Wand Shop.
Two minutes later, they emerged from the shop, looking bitter and dejected.
Their young master had run away right under their noses, and they didn't even know when or how he ran away. This was a serious dereliction of duty!
"Sigh!" one of them said helplessly. "The young master ran off happily, but the two of us... In short, this is tragic."
"Who says it isn't!"
"The first accident in twelve years, why did it have to happen to us?"
"Let's go report to Mr. Gines first!"
"But we should be prepared to be scolded."
The two knew that Ollivander's hasty departure was to find Gines. Their only purpose in going now was to be scolded, to let their superior vent his anger.
Bang!
Ollivander furiously slammed the parchment in front of Gines, displaying an intensity completely unbefitting his age. "How do you manage children? Why was there such a huge oversight?"
"Please calm down, what exactly happened?"
"See for yourself.
If anything happens to Aaron, you are solely to blame."
"Young master." Gines was stunned for a moment, then immediately picked up the paper and read it.
A moment later, he put down his trembling hands, his heart filled with gloom.
Sure enough, he ran away!
Recalling Aaron's unusual behavior at breakfast, he realized that this was definitely a premeditated runaway.